Oxygen has a long-standing reputation for being not only a necessary element in daily life, but also a chemical menace. The earliest forms of life on earth were anaerobic, and would be severely damaged or die from oxygen exposure. Once the atmosphere became dominated by oxygen, some anaerobic organisms evolved into a symbiotic role and eventually became the mitochondria found in cells today. Most terrestrial organisms require oxygen to survive; this includes the yeasts and fungi which can cause edibles to go bad. Oxygen is also burdensome for stored acrylic paints, as the oils within the mixture oxidize to form the plastic-like bonds of dried paint.
The preservation of perishable items is known within the art. The most basic of devices see a plug made of plastic or cork to effectively trap oxygen outside of the container. Although simplistic in design and economically feasible, these devices also trap any remaining oxygen within the container, which can allow for bacterial or fungal growth.
Oxygen removal from containers is known within the art. One such method sees a vacuum system used to remove as much atmospheric gas as possible from the container. This is accomplished by creating a vacuum in a chamber within the unit, and transferring that vacuum to the storage container. Once the vacuum has removed as much of the atmospheric gas as the pump can, the user then actuates an integral valve in the container, sealing the container, and preventing any air from entering.
Unfortunately, this vacuum system can be cumbersome to use, as it sees a pumping apparatus, which generally requires a power source. If a power source is readily available, the system is generally noisy when operating, and vacuum tubes can be severed, rendering the pumping system useless. Another disadvantage of this system lies within the storage containers as they tend to be proprietary to the maker, making it difficult to obtain additional containers, or repair broken parts. Furthermore, some stored items cannot be placed under a vacuum without deforming or otherwise altering the properties of the item.
Another method sees noble gas pumped into the container as a replacement for oxygen. Generally, noble gasses do not react with other elements, as they are chemically stable in their elemental form. Unfortunately, this method can be costly and difficult to perform on a consumer level. The method requires the user to keep noble gasses in house, and to purchase an apparatus which can both remove oxygen, and add gas to the container. Containers for these apparatus tend to be proprietary and hard to find.
Another method employs oxygen-absorption material placed inside porous-walled bags, which are then inserted into the desired containers. There are many commercially-available, food-rated oxygen absorption materials such as iron-based materials or salts. Unfortunately, oxidation readily occurs in conditions found within a home environment. Containers containing oxygen absorbent materials should not be used with liquid, as the materials used in the containers can allow liquid to penetrate the oxygen absorbent material, rendering it inactive. Furthermore, any contact with the oxygen absorbent material can contaminate liquids or other degradable substances that are being preserved by the oxygen absorbent materials. For example, salt-based oxygen absorbent materials could readily dissolve into liquid resulting in contamination should contact occur.
It could be said there lies a need for a method of removing atmospheric oxygen from a container without the use of proprietary vacuums or noble gasses.
The present invention meets this need by providing the user with a stopper-type device which houses replaceable oxygen-absorption material and shields that material from contact with liquids and other preferably-untouched material.